Trump Could Give GOP Defense Hawks Exactly What They Want

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein testify in September before the Senate Armed Services Committee on long-term budgetary challenges. (AP)

Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani, who's being floated as a contender for U.S. Attorney General in Trump's cabinet, said Sunday on CNN that one of the president-elect's top priorities is to strengthen the military.

"He's going to be facing Putin with a country that is not diminishing its military but a country that is dramatically increasing it to Reagan-like levels," Giuliani said, referencing Reagan's "peace through strength."

Trump's called for a number of defense improvements, including raising the number of active duty troops in the Army and the size of the Navy, sweeping modernization of military facilities and weaponry, including the country's nuclear arsenal. And despite the advantage he received during the campaign thanks to the Democratic Party's leaked emails, he's also called for increased cyber security.

"This is all music to the ears of not only Republican leaders in defense, but many Democrats too," Michael Herson, prominent defense lobbyist, told the Post.

Carrying out this overhaul would be costly, though.

The American Enterprise Institute's Mackenzie Eaglen and Rick Berger estimate it would cost between $100 billion to $300 billion more over the next four years than President Barack Obama's current plan. In order to get this funding, Congress would have to remove the budget caps added as part of the sequester, something Trump has called for on the campaign trail.

The president-elect said he'd "ask Congress to fully eliminate the defense sequester and will submit a new budget to rebuild our military" in September, according to the Post.

If Trump can surpass the sequestration restrictions, then GOP defense hawks could get the funding they've wanted.

"Nobody gets a blank check," Herson added. "But I think we get the infusion we need to restore our strength."

President-elect Donald Trump can give Republican defense hawks everything they want and more, The Washington Post reports. Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani, who's being floated as a contender for U.S. Attorney General in Trump's cabinet, said Sunday on CNN that one of the...